Job Description

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Aldar Education is currently seeking an outstanding Head Pre-Operations - School Development.
As the leading education group in Abu Dhabi, we provide inclusive and innovative learning that inspires and empowers communities. We offer a range of brands for all learners in our community, from nursery through to adult education. We offer the broadest choice of curricula. In the largest number of locations in Abu Dhabi.
Starting with one school and 250 students in 2007, Aldar Education has grown into a highly sought after education provider, now supporting over 38,000 students in 28 schools and a growing network of almost 5000 educators, with over 100 nationalities, offering a wide range of curricula and ancillary services such as a Teacher Training Academy.
Working collaboratively, our education network's purpose is to empower the next generation to shape our future, directly supporting the educational goals of Abu Dhabi's government. Today, Aldar Education's efforts are guided by the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030 plan, which aims to build a sustainable knowledge-based economy through premium education.
The Head - Pre-Operations is responsible for leading the operational, technical, and readiness integration of all new and existing school development projects across the Group's portfolio.
Acting as the client-side technical and operational integrator, the role ensures that design, construction, fit-out, technology, and regulatory requirements are aligned with premium-plus educational delivery, operational efficiency, and statutory compliance-resulting in schools that are fully operational, licensed, and ready to educate from Day One.
The role covers greenfield developments and brownfield refurbishments, including live-campus works.
Responsibilities:
Main Duties

• Lead operational and technical oversight across all school development projects.
• Ensure alignment of design, construction, fit-out, and technology with educational and operational requirements.
• Act as the operator's representative throughout project lifecycles.
• Lead operational readiness and school opening processes.
• Ensure compliance with UAE regulations, ADEK/MOE requirements, and statutory approvals.
• Support senior leadership with project reporting and risk management.
• Drive value engineering initiatives while maintaining brand and quality standards.
• Ensure all schools open fully compliant, operational, and education-ready.

Specific Duties
1. Site Feasibility & Land Due Diligence

• Support Investment land decisions through early, operator-led site feasibility and buildability checks (capacity, access/traffic, circulation & drop-off, play/specialist space needs).
• Validate plot readiness and constraints with Development / Authorities (planning parameters, access/servitudes, utilities, enabling works, SPA/title dependencies), and translate them into clear timeline, risk, and cost implications.
• Produce a concise "Go / No-Go / Conditions to Proceed" note per site, summarising assumptions, key constraints, critical path, and decision risks, leveraging prior due diligence and authority-approvals experience from similar acquisitions/new builds.

2. Design Brief Development & Design Coordination

• Lead the development of the comprehensive project design brief, including the Schedule of Accommodation (SoA), translating educational, operational, and business requirements into clear spatial and functional design criteria, and ensuring all academic and non-academic space requirements are captured, validated, and approved.
• Ensure SoA/BUA aligns to business plan and financial model assumptions, with academic sign-off
• Provide operational and technical oversight across all design stages (Concept to IFC).
• Review and validate architectural, structural, and MEP designs to ensure alignment with:

• Educational delivery models
• Operational workflows
• Health, safety, and safeguarding standards
• Lead development, validation, and control of the Schedule of Accommodation (SoA) across academic and non-academic spaces.
• Ensure space planning, circulation, zoning, adjacencies, and functional layouts comply with:

• ADEK / MOE requirements
• International best-practice school design standards
• Identify design risks early and recommend practical, operator-led solutions.
• Provide concise and regular progress updates, risk flags, and milestone readouts to Project Management team and Ops leadership.

3. FF&E Strategy, Specifications & BOQ Control

• Lead the development and approval of FF&E strategies for premium-plus schools.
• Oversee preparation and validation of:

• FF&E inventories
• Technical specifications
• Detailed BOQs by space type (classrooms, labs, SEN, sports, admin, specialist areas, etc.)
• Ensure FF&E selections meet requirements for:

• Safety and ergonomics
• Durability and lifecycle value
• Sustainability and compliance
• Coordinate closely with Procurement to align:

• Budgets
• Vendor evaluations
• Delivery and installation sequencing
• Ensure FF&E integrates seamlessly with construction, commissioning, and handover milestones.

4. Construction, Fit-Out & Live-Campus Advisory

• Act as the operator's representative during construction and fit-out phases.

• Review contractor submissions including:

• Shop drawings
• Method statements
• Material samples and mock-ups
• Attend site meetings, inspections, and milestone reviews as required.
• Lead operational input into:

• Snagging and de-snagging
• Testing and commissioning
• Develop phasing strategies
• Manage temporary arrangements
• Mitigate risks to live school operations and student safety
• UAE building codes
• Life-safety and Civil Defence requirements
• Accessibility standards
• ADEK / MOE regulatory frameworks
• For brownfield projects:

5. Compliance, Codes & Licensing

• Ensure full compliance with:

• UAE building codes
• Life-safety and Civil Defence requirements
• Accessibility standards
• ADEK / MOE regulatory frameworks
• Coordinate and support all documentation required for:

• Authority submissions
• Inspections
• School licensing and approvals
• Validate final designs and completed works fully support:

• Educational delivery
• Operational readiness
• Statutory approval

6. Operational Readiness & School Opening

• Lead development and execution of operational readiness plans, covering:

• Hard and soft FM
• Health & safety
• Security
• Cleaning, catering, transport
• Educational operations
• Ensure commissioning, testing, and final inspections are completed from an operator's perspective.
• Oversee handover documentation including:

• As-built drawings
• O&M manuals
• Warranties and asset registers
• Revise and update "School in a Box"
• Identify readiness gaps and lead mitigation planning to ensure smooth school openings.

7. Technology, Innovation & Sustainability

• Ensure technology readiness across:

• Science and STEAM labs
• ICT and digital learning environments
• AV, security, access control, and smart systems
• Champion innovative, future-ready learning environments including:

• Flexible and adaptable spaces
• Digital infrastructure
• Outdoor learning
• Review projects for alignment with sustainability objectives:

• Estidama / LEED / WELL (where applicable)
• Internal ESG targets
• Drive value engineering initiatives without compromising quality, functionality, or brand standards.

8. Stakeholder Management

• Manage relationships with consultants, contractors, and regulators.
• Coordinate with school leaders and internal stakeholders.
• Provide clear reporting to senior leadership.
• Undertake other duties as reasonably assigned.

Qualifications:
Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Architecture, Construction Management, Facilities Management, or related field
• Professional certifications desirable (PMP, RICS, CIOB, etc.)

Minimum Experience
Essential

• Minimum 10 years' experience in:

• School development
• Educational facilities planning
• Pre-operations / operational readiness
• Technical advisory roles within the GCC
• Proven experience delivering premium or premium-plus projects, ideally in education.
• Strong technical capability reviewing:

• Architectural and MEP packages
• FF&E strategies and specifications
• Demonstrated experience supporting:

• School licensing
• Authority approvals
• Operational handovers
• Strong understanding of ADEK / MOE requirements and UAE regulations.

Desirable

• Client-side experience within a school group, developer, or operator
• Experience managing multiple concurrent projects
• Exposure to live-campus brownfield works

Job Specific Knowledge & Skills

• Strong understanding of ADEK/KHDA/MOE regulations and UAE compliance
• Strong communication skills
• Strong technical and operational judgement
• Excellent stakeholder, consultant and project management skills
• Highly organised, delivery-focused, and detail-oriented
• Confident working across design, construction, and operations
• Able to challenge consultants and contractors constructively
• Clear communicator with senior leadership and school principals
• Advanced knowledge of school facilities planning
• Strong commercial and value engineering acumen
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making capability

What we offer
Aldar Education offers an attractive remuneration package including medical & life insurance, flights, and education benefits. Our employees have access to a wide network of professionals and opportunities to lead and contribute to training others as well as developing themselves.
Aldar Education is keen to hear from like-minded, forward-thinking leaders who would welcome the challenges and opportunities that we have to offer.
This job description is not all-inclusive. Aldar Education reserves the right to amend this job description at any time. We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to a diverse and inclusive work environment. We are also mindful of our national development strategy and encourage UAE Nationals to join our company.
Aldar Education is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share this commitment. Offers of appointment are subject to satisfactory references and police clearance.

Skills Required